A new study on the role of transformative technologies in Asian tertiary education reveals the critical technologies being prioritised by campus administrators – as well as why. Surprise findings demonstrate that conventional e-learning systems are being superseded by newer technologies aimed to deliver “pedagogical transformation”.

Changing the way educational content is prepared and delivered is now seen by a significant proportion of Asia’s institutes of higher learning as being the primary means of differentiating themselves in an increasingly crowded, increasingly liberalised market for tertiary education. The penetration of Asia’s tertiary education market by international educational franchises from the United States, Australia and Europe has hastened this development with a shift from technologies that support distance learning, to those that support a more immersive, collaborative in-classroom experience.

This research establishes that institutes of higher learning are currently investing in the infrastructure groundwork to support changes in learning delivery.

While Asian tertiary institutions appear happy with the progress of technology implementation, they express a desire for greater vendor support, indicating that they continue to face challenges to keep up to date with technologies to be implemented within their organisations.